


Tear Stained Letters

by HarlequinFairy



Category: Warcraft - All Media Types, World of Warcraft
Genre: AU, Anxiety, Ex-cop, F/M, Family Drama, Gen, Modern AU, Rehab, Rock Star AU, Tobaco use, Wrongly convicted, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-10-25
Packaged: 2018-08-24 11:21:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8370283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarlequinFairy/pseuds/HarlequinFairy
Summary: Illidan Stormrage is a recently paroled inmate who was wrongly convicted of a crime. Trying to make it back out in a world that hates him, all he can turn to is old letters and the woman who had written to him all the years.





	1. Chapter 1

He had survived, against all odds Illidan Stormrage had survived the 50 year sentence for a crime he did not commit. It didn’t matter he was innocent, it didn’t matter the man he had killed had been in self defense. He had been painted a dirty cop with a bad temper, he had been found guilty before he even set foot before the courts. 

 

Surviving in prison being an ex-cop had been hell the first few years, inmates wanted him dead, and the wardens didn’t care what happened to a “dirty” cop. Over time he worked the system, made a name for himself, and earned respect. He became the unwilling leader of a prison gang, in the end it was all for survival. 

 

He had been a “model” prisoner, and was paroled 5 years early, a measly 5 years. So here he was standing on the outside of the stone wall for the first time in 45 years. He leaned against the wall, a half finished cigarette hanging from his lips. A car pulled up along the road infront of him, it was a newer car, expensive looking, but not fancy, honestly it suited the woman behind the wheel who rolled down the window. 

 

“You are going to have to put that out before you get in.” Tyrande, a woman Illidan had been madly in love with once upon a time, the woman who had chosen his twin brother over him, and at this moment it seemed like the only person who had even a sliver of care left for him. 

 

He dropped the cigarette and stepped on it before getting into the passenger side. His brother wasn’t with her, no surprise, the man had turned his back on him back before the trial began. 

 

“Surprised Mal let you come pick me up.” Illidan snorted. 

 

“It’s good to see you too Illidan.” She sighed. “And for your information Malfurion cannot tell me what I can and can’t do.”

 

“Even when you are pregnant with his child.” It tasted bitter on his tongue as he could not deny the sizeable bump on her stomach. 

 

“Especially then.” She retorted and began to drive away from the hell that had been Illidan’s home for 45 years.

 

“Thank you for being here Tryanda.” Illidan conceded, holding the bag of his meager possessions in his lap.

 

They drove in silence the rest of the way, Illidan idly watching the long forgotten landscape pass by.

 

They pulled up to a sizeable home, in a good part of town, surrounded by other sizeable homes. Tyranda being a doctor, and his brother being a politician allowed them such luxury. He stood there staring up at the elegant architecture, snorting at how it seemed to fit his brother’s ego. 

 

“Come on, I’ll show you your room so you can get settled in.” Tyranda patted Illidan’s arm, before heading inside.

 

The room she showed him had to be five times the size of the cell he had called home, and when he sat on the bed it felt almost too soft. A window without bars, a room without a toilet and sink in it. 

 

“I’ll try not to be any trouble.” He took a deep breath.

 

“You aren’t trouble Illidan.” Tyranda sat down beside him.

 

“Malfurion is going think otherwise.” 

 

“You are his brother, he still loves you.” 

 

This warranted a snort from Illidan, he could count on a single hand how many times his brother had communicated with him since he was imprisoned, and one of those was to tell him their parents were dead.

 

Tyranda stood up and put a hand on his shoulder with a soft smile. “I’m going to get started on dinner if you need anything.” 

 

With that she left the room and Illidan kicked off his shoes and laid back on the bed, sinking into the soft depths. He reached for his bag, opening it he took out a small box and set it beside him. He opened the box and pulled out the neat stack of envelopes. He pulled one out and removed the worn paper from the envelope and began to read it over.

 

_“Dearest Illidan,_

_The weather has begun to change, the cold of winter settling in quickly this year,I think it will be a long a cold one. Do you remember when we would go down to the pond and ice skate? You were a natural, then again you were always amazing at anything you set your mind to._

_It finally happened, the papers were finalized, and I broke down and cried. In a way I’m free, free of him, even if I am still a prisoner here. Thank you for being there for me, reminding me I was doing the right thing._

_The doctor says I am getting better, but it’s slow going. The medicine they gave me seems to be helping, I am sleeping better, having fewer nightmares. I started playing the piano again, though I still can’t bring myself to sing._

_I hope things have been well with you, that you have been staying out of trouble. Then again you never were good at staying out of trouble._

_Love,  
Thezmaya” _

 

He held the letter in his hand, even after all these years, it had the lingering smell of her, the woman he hadn’t seen since he was a teenager, but had reached out to him when he was imprisoned. It had been her letters that had kept him sane, kept him grounded. He didn’t know what he was going to do now, it wasn’t as if being a known ex-convict and ex-cop was going to do him any favors. He laid there, the letter on his chest as he thought about the simple days, of growing up, of the young woman with the voice that would make the heavens jealous.


	2. Chapter 2

Before dinner, Illidan slipped downstairs to the back porch to have a smoke. He sat in one of the fancy deck chairs and relaxed, looking out over the manicured gardens in the backyard. He knew this had to be Tyranda’s work, or her input, she had always been the one who loved plants and flowers. 

 

He spotted the open large garage and his curiosity got the better of him. He walked off the deck, rubbing out the last bit of his cigarette onto the concrete and slipping the empty butt into his pocket. He went into the open building and looked over the sleek black car, he knew it was his brothers. It was fancy, overly elegant, in short, it was a car a pompous asshole lawyer politician would drive. 

 

He spotted a cover over what was obviously a bike, he had never known his brother to ride, he always hated when Illidan had. He walked over and lifted up the corner before throwing off the cover. He chuckled amused, it was his old bike, that or it was the same as his was. 

 

He heard a whistle behind him and turned to have a set of keys come flying at him. He caught them and looked at them, he recognized them, they were his. 

 

“We took care of it.” Tyranda smiled.

 

He knew “we” was her, his brother would have been happy to sell the thing off. 

 

“The gardener runs it every week and keeps the fluids taken care of.” She came around and leaned on her husband’s car.

 

Illidan sat on the bike, enjoying the long forgotten familiar feeling of the bike beneath him. He turned the engine over and felt the swell of pride and she roared to life. It felt good, very good, the way the bike vibrated under him, through him. It would be good to have at least some freedom. 

 

He turned off the bike and sat there a while longer, running his hand over the dark polished surface.

 

“Dinner is ready.” Tyranda interrupted his thoughts before turning to head inside.

 

The next morning Tyranda came downstairs to a wonderful smell filling her home. She went into the kitchen to find Illidan busy at work. Muffins sitting cooling on a rack, fresh fruit cut up into a pleasing looking salad in a bowl and he was at the stove mixing up something. 

 

“Well this is a surprise, I didn’t know you knew how to cook.” She sat down at the breakfast bar and watched him.

 

“Prison had these programs to help you gain job skills, they were mandatory, and the only thing I had any interest in was culinary, so here I am.” He picked up a plate and scooped up the egg mixture he had made onto it before turning to set in front of her. “Besides if I am going to stay here I should make myself useful.”

 

“Well it will be nice to have someone else to cook around here.” She picked up a fork and took a bite of the eggs. “Wow this is really good.” 

 

“Thank you.” He said dishing his own food and moving everything else to the bar. 

 

He sat down next to her and began to eat, enjoying the real food, not the crap he ate most of the time in the last 45 years.

 

“So what plans do you have for the day?” Tyranda asked peeling the wrapped off a muffin. 

 

“Checking in with my parole officer, getting my life back in order so I can start looking for a job.” He answered dully.

 

“You don’t have to be in a rush to get back out there.” Tyranda commented sympathically.

 

“I don’t need to be a burden on you.” Illidan sighed.

 

“You are....”

 

“Malfurion will see me as such.” 

 

“Illidan...”

 

“The sooner I am out of your hair, the less stress it will be, and with a baby on the way you don’t need the stress of us fighting.” With that Illidan went back to eating quickly. 

 

Tyranda couldn’t deny that Illidan was probably right, the two of them had not gotten along all that well before everything happened, now would not be any better. 

 

“I am happy you are here, even if Malfurion won’t be.” She patted his arm. “Thank you for breakfast, it’s delicious.”

 

After Tyranda left for work, Illidan got ready and left himself, heading into town to see his parole officer, he was not looking forward to this. 

 

He went up into the building and to the offices, checking in and sitting down to wait.

 

“Illidan Stormrage.” A rough female voice echoed across the waiting room. 

 

Illidan stood up and was faced with the sour face of Officer Maiev Shadowsong. He had heard about her, and how ruthless she was, but he didn’t have much choice. He walked over to her and offered out his hand. 

 

“Mam.” He would have to bite back his own feelings about her to make this as painless for himself.

 

She took his hand and gave him a disapproving look, “Let’s go into my office.”

 

Oh this was not going to be fun, and it took all his energy to keep his temper in check through their meeting. He had a feeling she was trying to provoke him, try to make him out to be the villain she wanted him to be.

 

Once the meeting was over he chained smoked two cigarettes back to the back just to calm himself down before heading out to take care of other matters, mainly getting a new ID and other paperwork he needed to get back to a “normal” life. 

 

He came back to his brother’s home latter in the evening to find his brother was home and he walked in to finding him and his wife having a heated discussion that ended when he walked in. 

 

“Illidan. How did everything go?” Tyranda put on a smile.

 

“Good as can be expected.” He shrugged, then looking to lock eyes with his brother. “You look good Malfurion.” He tried, and failed, to hide the sass in his voice.

 

“You look like a mess as usual.” Malfurion straightened his suit jacket.

 

“Sorry, these are the clothes they gave me, and I don’t exactly have cash to buy new ones.” Illidan shrugged. 

 

“I’m sure Malfurion has some clothes he could give you.” Tyranda interrupted. 

 

Malfurion said nothing and turned to go upstairs and change, not wanting to continue this line with his brother.

 

Once out of sight Tyranda came up to Illidan. “I’m sorry about him, he had a rough few days with the world council.” 

 

“You don’t have to apologize for him.” Illidan put his hands on her arms and leaned to kiss her cheek. “Things are never going to be great between us again, and you shouldn’t have to referee us.” 

 

She gave a tired smile. “I’ll go start dinner...”

 

“No you go relax, you look beat. I’ll cook.” He was determined to not give his brother a chance to slight him any further.


End file.
